Orthros no Inu eps 1-3

After Maou, it was only a matter of time before there was another dorama pitting two Johnnys against each other in another dark dorama with a supernatural theme. If Maou proved anything, its that dark and interesting concepts paired with a cute chick makes a pretty watchable dorama. In Orthros no Inu, we got Takizawa Hideaki as the 'evil' dude with powers of healing and Nishikido Ryo as the good guy with the power to kill by touch. The chick in the middle is a cop Nagisa, played by Mizukawa Asami aka the nurse from Iryu.

Didn't know she was an M. Always thought she was more S. :)

Ryuzaki is a murderer on death row with the potential to save the lives of millions. He tricks the really stupid Aoi sensei to free him and manages to escape from prison. I can understand the Aoi freeing Ryuzaki part. It feels like a fated meeting and Ryuzaki is the yin to his yang. Bottom line, it is a necessary part of the plot. Its gives Aoi motivation because his guilt in freeing Ryuzaki and starting this whole mess. What I cannot accept is how easily Ryuzaki manages to escape from the prison.

Hottest forensics specialist in Japan.

He's on death row ffs! Where are the security cameras and guards close to his holding cell? One can explain away by saying that the prison boss didn't want people knowing about his frequent visits to Ryuzaki but the dorama did not make that effort. Details matter. I can accept some things happening without explanation as necessary but insulting my intelligence more than once per episode is too much. Killing prison boss and putting on guard uniform does not equal escape from prison. Prison is not a house with two guards outside.

This sentence belongs with a nonsensical show like Karei Naru Spy which I urge everyone to avoid.

Episode 2 gets better when we get to see what 'evil deeds' Ryuzaki can do with his powers of healing and it is fun. Episode two poses questions about morality and value of human life. Exploring ideas of right and wrong is what makes Orthros no Inu stand out. It can be said that Ryuzaki does nothing wrong. He is not playing God. He is giving others the option of playing God. He wants to see what value people attach to their own lives and to others'. Ryuzaki is conducting an experiment on the value of human life. However, Orthros no Inu may run into the same problem as Maou whereby you can't hold the 'villain' as the main cause of the crimes.

Stupid blogger giving me problems uploading large pictures. Ggrrr.

Episode 3 is where this show comes back down the earth. First we have that lol stupid statement by Giragira about having access to information on American secret weapons. It sounds like something out of a bad kids show. Then we have the idiocy of Aoi sensei. I can understand that he has to make the decisions he made in order for the audience to see the effects of his decisions. However, the stabbing scene really makes the stabbing scene in Shiroi Haru look good.

Nope, its a great view! :)

Aoi sensei is in room with girl when killer attacks. He struggles, contemplates using power but decides not to. This brings us to the same problem as his first kill in ep 1. It is/was not necessary for him to use his powers to kill. Did it never occur to Aoi sensei to try to disarm the attacker? Disable him? Keep him preoccupied so the girl can escape? Or even get himself stabbed and hold on to the knife?

Where are all the alarms that kids carry in Shiroi Haru?

No, the girl runs of and knife guy runs by Aoi sensei while he does nothing!!!!! He could have at least grabbed onto the knife guy. I'm not asking him to shoulder tackle him against the door/wall. Whoever planned/shot that fight sequence made Aoi sensei look incompetent. Same problem as last episode of Shiroi Haru, Japanese do not know how to shoot 'action scenes' properly. The easiest way to fix that is to plan the whole sequence in one take and see whether it flows/is logical instead of splitting it up and making it look incoherent when cut together.

Shiori wannabes seem to be coming out of the woodwork.

I can't believe that I'm going to continue watching for Takuzawa Hideaki or rather for his character. I've seen many of his shows and he has never shown acting chops. At least he's outgrown his whiny brat roles. I look forward to seeing what moral dilemmas Ryuzaki can cook up next. However, based on the first 3 episodes, there will be lots of stupid dialogue, things happening without explanation and Aoi sensei acting like an idiot.